


Chapter 2 - Aftermath of a Failed Date

by Fhujeth



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nationverse, Points of View, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Unresolved Emotional Tension, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-22 21:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20880620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fhujeth/pseuds/Fhujeth
Summary: After World War One, both nations entered a war against one another in a border conflict for Vilnius, the historical capital of Lithuania. After that, the two cut off ties completely until World War Two. Lithuania remained salty and angry that Poland would betray him as more came to light in his mind about the actions that really happened when the two were the Commonwealth and who really was in charge.During the Cold War both nations didn't speak much outside of a professional setting and never had a chance to confront one another. It's 1992 and the two are thrust on a Blind Date at the hands of France. Will they be able to confront their long standing disagreements with one another, that have cultivated since the early 1900s or, will they continue to fall astray?Every part tells the same story but from a different point of view. After all, there are two sides to every story.This story is posted in parts to help keep it easy to follow! So it is better advised to bookmark the 'Series' instead of individual stories if you want to keep updated.





	1. Part Two - Poland

Poland kicked the ground as the two left the restaurant, untouched meals in hand. "I can't believe that guy," Poland muttered under his breath, still speaking Lithuanian. "Why would he do this to us?"

"I don't know..." Lithuania let out an exasperated sigh. “Why can’t things just be left the way they are?” He ran his fingers through his untamed hair. “I really regret coming out here tonight.” 

Lithuania hiccuped, clearly drunk, and it made Poland’s heart flutter softly. It was a cute noise, and he blushed as he continued to listen, walking alongside him. Although they were both far from home, Poland felt comfortable alongside his once long-time companion.

“I’m too old for this shit…” Lithuania yawned. Despite his looks, he’d been around for over a millennia at least, and he looked good for his age. Even though he had suffered greatly through the last few centuries, he had still been able to keep a pretty face. To Poland, it was an impressive feat that the other nation didn’t need to wear makeup. 

“I’m just… going to return to the hotel and like, take a bath and pass out.” Poland yawned as he sat down on the curbside, remembering to wait for France. He still wanted to give him a piece of his mind for setting the two up like this. “I mean, after we kick that guy’s ass,” Poland added, laughing playfully to himself. He remembered how hard Lithuania could throw a punch, and he really wanted to see him take the lead again.

Lithuania sat down beside Poland and took his own leftovers from him, looking inside it to see that it was his own. The food must have seemed unappetizing because he took one look at it and tensed up.

Poland wondered if Lithuania had always been this tense and nervous, but he smiled at him despite his worry. “It feels pretty nice out.” Poland put his own leftovers to his side and looked up at the sky. “Sitting out here and waiting for France will be a piece of cake.” 

Lithuania said nothing and looked up at the sky himself. He let out a deep breath, and Poland wondered what could possibly be going through Lithuania’s mind. He had seemed so heated and upset in the restaurant, and although Poland understood why, he wondered just why Lithuania hadn’t gone and left already. After all, he was only half joking about kicking France’s ass.

In a way, Poland felt jealous Warsaw wasn’t more like Paris. People didn’t come to Paris for the same reasons they came to Warsaw. Paris was extravagant, and it felt so vastly different from Warsaw. He mused for a moment if he’d be able to make Warsaw more vibrant and colourful and become a place people would want to visit for more than just the sad and tragic history attached to it.

Paris wasn’t perfect, of course, and through careful research Poland had been able to find a nearby place in his budget to stay. He had even decided to make a day or two trip of it, too, before he would be dragged back to his own land to work on boring paperwork. Regardless of the date being set up to meet with Lithuania, Poland was pretty happy he had gotten a free flight and meal at a breathtaking restaurant in Paris.

“Is your hotel far from here?” Poland asked, playing with the bracelet around his wrist. “I mean, mine is kind of close to here, so I’m not too worried about getting home.” 

“I didn’t get one,” Lithuania curtly replied. “It’s nice enough out, I think, and it’s not really in my budget to spend a night in a hotel around Paris.” 

Poland listened, feeling a bit sorry for Lithuania. He had a room to himself, and there was more than enough space for two people. He didn’t mind the idea of letting Lithuania spend the night, no strings attached. It wouldn’t have been Poland’s dream idea, but company was company, and the good Catholic inside him kept screaming at him to offer something. “What were you going to do?” he asked, wondering if by some chance he had planned to stay with a friend or if he was going to stay with France. “Just sleep on a bench?”

Lithuania turned to Poland. “It’s not like I have money.” His words had a bite and he turned back to the sky. “I’ll probably just sleep outside somewhere… or stay in some all-night bar.” He shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the idea of sleeping outside.

It was true, when they were kids they used to sleep outside together all the time, so this thought didn’t worry Poland too much. Back in their glory days, they would call the rye fields their bed. Nothing felt nicer than a warm summer’s night as they looked up at the stars and told stories and laughed. Poland smiled as he remembered these moments and started to pick at the charms on his bracelet again. “Do you… want to stay the night in--”

“No.”

Poland turned away. He didn’t mind sacrificing some privacy or even the bed so that Lithuania might have somewhere warm to stay.

The beautiful night sky had been slowly growing darker as stars began to disappear behind thick clouds. The sun had now set, but it was still evident that it was getting cloudier and cloudier. “It’s going to rain,” said Poland. 

“I know.” Lithuania was still looking up at the sky. “It’s not like I haven’t slept in the pouring rain before.” He gave it a long pause. “...or the frigid snow.” 

Poland didn’t want to push Lithuania about spending the night at his hotel. After all, he was a free man, and if Lithuania wanted to be stubborn and stay out in the pouring rain, that was his thing. It wasn’t Poland’s job to parent someone nearly his own age.

Poland stood up and held his leftovers tightly, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to head back to the hotel now.” It had been a while, and France still hadn’t shown up, so there was no point in sticking around, especially if it was going to rain. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“We’re bound by borders,” Lithuania yawned, giving himself a good stretch. “So yeah, I’ll see you around.”

Poland frowned. He wasn’t worried Lithuania would be in danger, but he felt uncomfortable leaving the guy to sleep in the middle of a country where he didn’t speak the language very well. He began to consider asking again, but a crack of thunder pulled him from his thoughts, causing every muscle in his body to tense up. He clenched the bag holding his leftovers tighter. “I’m going to go then.” His voice shook. He knew it was thunder, he knew it was in the distance. It was a single crack, like a gunshot. “Would hate to get caught in the rain and ruin my shoes,” he lied, a piece of his mind beginning to fragment. He began to walk off, unbalanced and uncomfortable.

Lithuania stood up quickly and began to follow, starting to call out defensively. “Why aren’t you trying--” A loud flash of light followed by a loud roar of thunder came booming down from the sky. 

That was all it took, and Poland’s legs went weak, gravity pulling him to the ground. The world around him seemed to collide into a chaotic mess of nothingness and everything all at once. His heart started throbbing and a cold sweat overcame him. Panic began to set in as a sense of danger and immediate threat came down on him.

Poland could see it now, the vivid peace of the night ruined as the world fell apart around him. He couldn’t tell where he was or what was going on, but reached his hands down so he could feel something. The cool rough texture of the concrete on his hands did nothing to help him, but it let him grasp onto the fact that he was still awake. He dug his nails into the ground, but all he could see was the grey cement, the smoke and ash. All he could hear was the ringing of a bomb.

He still wasn’t prepared. It happened again. The bomb, the flames, the incineration. He couldn’t grasp where he was. His breathing grew short and rapid as he stared absently at the cement, his mind trying to rationalize what had just happened and pick up on what it should do.

Poland couldn’t move. He was in danger, and that was all he knew. 

“It’s okay!” Someone had spoken out in Polish. “It’s only a storm.”

The words were calm and slow, and Poland tried to focus in on who was saying them. He wondered if it was a soldier, or maybe someone who had come to rescue him. It calmed him to know that he wasn’t there alone, and that someone else was there alongside him. The tension in his shoulders lessened. 

“A rain storm, thunder,” the voice continued.

Poland was trembling, but he started to gain a sense of where he was. Tears began to fill his eyes, but as soon as he began to realize what was happening, another flash and bang sent him flying directly into the soldier, clinging to him for dear life. 

“It’s going to be okay. I’m right here.” The soldier offered a calming tone, yet remained as still as a rock, not even going so far as to put his arms around Poland.

Poland clung tighter to the mysterious soldier, his face buried in his chest. He could feel the warmth of tears running down his face as he sobbed for a good few minutes, his heartbeat slowing and his grip with reality starting to come again.

“Is there anything I can do?” asked the soldier, and suddenly Poland recognized the voice as Lithuania’s, his mind awakening from its shock. Despite everything, Lithuania’s words were still calm.

Poland shook his head and continued sobbing, even as the rain started to fall. He could smell the familiar scent of Lithuania and hear the cars driving down the road now. The flashback was slowly starting to fade as he could feel the calming aura of Paris and see the bright lights of the great Eiffel Tower from the corner of his eye. “Paris, yeah?” Poland mumbled, his face still thrust into Lithuania’s jacket.

“Yeah, Paris,” Lithuania replied.

Eventually, Poland was able to pull himself away from Lithuania. He sat on the ground for a moment, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand. He felt weak, like a train had just hit him, but he was calmer and more aware. “I’m sorry…”

Guilt began to consume Poland as his mind caught up with reality. He hadn’t meant to put Lithuania in this situation. He hadn’t meant for it to happen at all. He was frustrated knowing it had happened before and would happen again, but he just turned those emotions into actions and stood up. “I’ll go now.”

Poland wanted to hurry out of there and head back to his hotel. He started to feel anxious, but a different kind of anxious. The guilt and frustration became embarrassment and shame, and those were emotions he didn’t want to deal with right then and there. He decided to try and play it off like it was nothing and faked a smile. “Stay safe, okay?” He began to walk off.

“Wait.” Lithuania stood up, his voice was weak and shaky, “Are you still willing to let me stay the night at your hotel room?”

Poland stopped walking and gave a polite nod. “Yeah.” It was the least he could offer.


	2. Chapter Two - Lithuania

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is from Lithuania's point of view, the events that transpire in the parking lot. Please leave a kudos and comment if you're willing to help support this work and further ones!

Lithuania followed beside Poland as the two walked out of the restaurant, leftovers in hand. He felt good, the alcohol half holding him together and Poland’s actions helping give him some sort of directive for the moment. 

“I can’t believe that guy.” Poland kicked the ground, likewise frustrated about the evening, which offered Lithuania some relief. He was glad that Poland had agreed that this night had been pretty fucked up. “Why would he do this to us?” Poland was still speaking Lithuanian, which also felt strange, but he let it slide. It was good to hear his own language. For almost the entirety of their time together as the Commonwealth, and even before that, they had opted to speak everything but Lithuanian. They’d speak Latin, Polish, and even Ruthenian, but never Lithuanian. 

“I don’t know,” Lithuania breathed, exhausted. “Why can’t things just be left the way they are?” He ran his fingers through his hair, getting them caught on a tangle. “I really regret coming out here tonight.” 

Lithuania hiccuped, miserable to be beside Poland, but unfortunately lacking anywhere else to go or anything else to do. His French was poor, he hadn’t rented a place to stay, and he was too broke to really enjoy his life at the moment. “I’m too old for this shit,” he yawned.

“I’m just… going to return to the hotel and like, take a bath and pass out.” Poland yawned too, sitting down on the curbside. “I mean, after we kick that guy’s ass.” He laughed, makeup smudged over his face from his tearful moment in the restaurant. 

Under the thick coverup and blush laid a few very obvious marks, and Lithuania wondered how long Poland actually spent covering them up. He knew Poland had a few questionable scars, but as dolled up as Poland made himself, he could tell he was still going for a somewhat natural look. A human look.

Lithuania joined Poland on the curbside and took his leftovers, peeking inside the bag to make sure he took the right one. When he opened it, the smell of food rushed through his nose, and his stomach churned. He immediately closed it after confirming it was his and put it aside. There was something unappetizing about food, especially when he was anxious. 

“It feels pretty nice out.” Poland put his own leftovers to his side and looked up at the sky. His light blond hair shimmered under the setting sun. “Sitting out here and waiting for France will be a piece of cake.”

Lithuania wondered if France would even come out of the building, but it didn’t matter. None of it really mattered. Here he was, stuck in Paris, sitting next to Poland, a man he had spent so many decades trying to get out of his head. He hated Poland and his arrogant, pompous, two-faced attitude.

He continued to sit, locked in his thoughts as he looked around the darkening Paris skyline. Vilnius had its merits, but much like himself, it still stunk of Soviet grime. Filthy grey blockhouses and slowly rotting cement buildings he couldn’t afford to fix lined his streets. Grotesque monuments to evil stood tall at every corner.

“Is your hotel far from here?” Poland’s voice broke Lithuania’s trance. “I mean, mine is kind of close to here, so I’m not too worried about getting there.”

Lithuania scowled. Did he look like he could afford a place to stay? He couldn’t even afford the trip out, but since it had been paid for by France, he had jumped at the idea. He’d take anything to get away from his sloven and meaningless life for just a moment. “I didn’t get one. It’s nice enough out, I think, and it’s not really in my budget to spend a night in a hotel around Paris.” 

“What were you going to do,” Poland asked, “just sleep on a bench?”

What did Poland expect him to do? He didn’t speak French, and it wasn’t like he was a big fan of France, especially after he had set him up on this date. What kind of moronic question was this stupid Slav trying to get at? “It’s not like I have money. I’ll probably just sleep outside somewhere… or stay in some all-night bar.” 

It was the truth. He intended to sleep on a bench. It was not the worst way he’d ever had to sleep before. The last fifty years of his life had been an existential nightmare, so a park bench in a nice city was like a palace suite. 

Poland smiled and looked towards Lithuania, some passion in his eyes. “Do you… want to stay the night in--”

“No.” Lithuania gritted his teeth and clenched his fists over the idea that Poland would even suggest that. He wasn’t a fool, and he wasn’t about to be manipulated into spending the night with this blond bastard. The last thing he wanted to do was share a night in the same space as Poland. The only reason he hadn't left yet was because they were waiting for France, and he was a little too tipsy to trust himself on finding a good place to sleep.

The beautiful night sky was slowly growing darker as even stars began to disappear behind thick clouds. Although the sun had now set, it was still evident that it was getting cloudier.

“It’s going to rain.” Poland spoke up, probably using rain now as a further excuse to get Lithuania into his bed.

Lithuania wasn’t going to take that, however, and ignored the fact that he was probably going to sleep in a storm now, too. “I know.” Lithuania watched the clouds roll in. “It’s not like I haven’t slept in the pouring rain before.” He paused, remembering the various conditions he had slept in. “...or the frigid snow.” He was fortunate to be able to doze off relatively quickly, no matter the situation. Maybe it was due to overwork, or maybe his body was just starting to lose hope on itself and trying to find ways to put him out of his misery.

After a moment, Poland stood up, clenching his bag in his hand. “I’m going to head back to the hotel now.” He didn’t seem to want to fight or argue with his words. In fact, his reeked of apathy. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

Poland’s behaviour was still suspicious, but Lithuania gave him the benefit of the doubt. “We’re bound by borders, so yeah, I’ll see you around,” Lithuania yawned, giving himself a good stretch. There was a pain in his back, as usual. He was unsure when it had started, but he knew it had to do with events in his past, and that he was unfortunately not finally ageing gracefully towards death.

Lithuania began to muse on the idea of mortality again. He wasn’t fascinated by it, but it did give his mind something to think about while he waited for his brain to sober up, or for an idea to pop into his mind about where he would go to spend the night. A crack of thunder stopped those thoughts, though, and he sighed. It was definitely going to storm. 

“I’m going to go then.” Poland lingered, and Lithuania wondered why he hadn’t just walked away. They had said their goodbyes. What was he sticking around for? “Would hate to get caught in the rain and ruin my shoes.” 

Poland was obviously lying. He was only waiting for Lithuania to change his mind. It wasn’t going to work. Even as Poland started to walk off with some unease in his step, Lithuania smothered his doubts. That bastard had always been such a drama queen.

Hatred and disgust began to seep into Lithuania’s veins as he realized that he was being guilt-tripped. The fake terror in Poland’s voice at the quake of thunder made him sick, and he couldn’t take it. He stood up, anger seething through his body. He didn’t know what Poland wanted from him, and he wondered why he was only just now up and leaving. “Why aren’t you trying--” A loud flash of light followed by a loud roar of thunder interrupted his words, and Poland fell to his knees.

Lithuania froze. “Po, I…” He approached Poland, wondering exactly why he was acting this way. Maybe he too had too much to drink, or maybe he was just trying to pull a stunt. Though truth be told, Lithuania couldn’t remember Poland ever being this dedicated to tricking him. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” Lithuania hissed, closing in on him, but stopping when he noticed him almost clawing the cement. Poland’s breathing was intense and grief-stricken, like a bomb had just gone off. 

All of the anger and rage that filled Lithuania’s mind began to dissipate as he was hit by a strong wave of worry. His brain came to as he realized Poland was having a flashback. He’d seen it before with humans and had helped them to work through it, but he’d never seen it before with someone he knew. He himself had vivid dreams, but even then, nothing like this, or so he believed.

Lithuania didn’t even give it a second thought as he put his training into action and began to carefully approach Poland, kneeling down beside him. He wasn’t sure what exactly Poland was experiencing, but he was sure it wasn’t pleasant. He bit his tongue to control his own nerves and present himself as calmly as possible. The worst thing he could do was make any of this worse by frightening him further.

“It’s okay!” Lithuania spoke now in Polish, thinking that the other’s native tongue would give at least some familiarity. He spoke slowly and calmly, both because he hadn’t used Polish in decades, and also because he wanted to make sure that he was being soft and calming towards Poland. Wherever he was in the moment, he wanted the other to feel like he was as close to home as possible. “It’s only a storm.”

Poland’s eyes turned in the direction of Lithuania’s voice and his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Although not by a lot, he was at least being heard, and that gave Lithuania some relief back.

He needed to pull Poland out of wherever he was with caution. “A rainstorm, thunder,” Lithuania added. He was uncomfortable doing this at all, but he didn’t want to leave Poland there, stranded in a parking lot. 

Lithuania saw Poland begin to come to, but just as luck would have it, another boom of thunder sent Poland flying right into Lithuania.

Poland squeezed Lithuania so tight it felt like a death grip. Although small and delicate looking, Poland was actually incredibly strong. It was nothing Lithuania couldn’t handle, but it still surprised him just how much strength was in this guy’s arms. Poland trembled like a leaf as he clung, and despite his rage, Lithuania couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He’d never seen Poland like this before in his life, but a lot had changed over the last century.

“It’s going to be okay. I’m right here.” Lithuania kept speaking, offering reassurance where he could. He himself felt his chest swell with pity. He could feel the terror and agony Poland was in, and he wanted it to stop. “Is there anything I can do?”

Lithuania felt Poland respond with a shake of his head, and it relieved him that Poland was coming back to the real world. Rain began to fall from the sky, and the smell of wet pavement filled his nose. He was able to focus on that as he stood still, reluctant to scare Poland with a sudden movement.

“Paris, yeah?” Poland mumbled. His face was still in Lithuania’s chest, and he was still clenching his jacket, although his grip had loosened a little bit.

Lithuania smiled that Poland was coming back. “Yeah, Paris,” he reassured him. He didn’t want Poland to see him worrying, nor did he really want to be worrying about Poland.

Some time passed, and eventually, Poland was able to pull himself off of Lithuania. He sat back, his face puffy from crying. He looked terrible like the life had been drained from his body, but he was at least there, awake and aware. “I’m sorry…” Poland said. He looked as if he was about to cry again but stood up. “I’ll go now.” 

Lithuania looked towards the ground and back towards Poland, his heart racing as he tried to make a prompt decision about what he should do. He didn’t want to just up and leave Poland after that. As much as he despised the guy, he wanted to make sure he’d get to his hotel okay. 

“Stay safe, okay?” Poland started to walk off in the direction of the hotel.

“Wait.” Lithuania stood up. He couldn’t find it in his heart to let Poland just go off alone after that. “Are you still willing to let me stay the night at your hotel room?” He couldn’t believe what he was asking, but it would only be for a night, and if he kept his mind clear the rest of their time together, there would be no way for Poland to pull any nasty tricks. He’d be safe and be able to keep an eye on Poland to make sure he stayed safe too.

Poland stopped walking and turned to Lithuania. “Yeah.” He nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you CoffeeJay for being my beta reader and making so many helpful edits.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are going to start to get into some of the things I headcanon. This is Poland's side. Because this is Poland's side, we leave it up to Lithuania's side to tell the story of how HE feels in it and why he does what he does. Lithuania is very much an internalized person. He doesn't express his feelings in physical actions besides glares and stares, the occasional stomach cramp and tension. He is an internal thinker while Poland is a bit more expressive. Again, these take place in 1992. They JUST got their independence back. Remember if you can read it, to comment and leave kudos. It means much more to me than you think. Please come to your own conclusions too, I would love to hear your thoughts. Why does Lithuania choose to stay with Poland despite hating him? What could he be thinking? Find out in on his side.


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